SI All-American Candidates: 1 Ohio State Commit and 1 Buckeyes Target Named

SI99 revealed on Dec. 2; position rankings begin on Dec. 4

Malaki Branham, a shooting guard from Akron who committed to Ohio State in July, has been named a Sports Illustrated All-American candidate.

Branham chose the Buckeyes over a final list of schools that included Alabama, Baylor and Marquette, among others. The 6-foot-5 wing attends St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, the prep alma mater of LeBron James.

Ohio State remains in the running for fellow SI All-American candidate Charles Bediako, a center from IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. The 6-foot-11 big man is also considering Duke, Michigan, Texas and Alabama.

No other uncommitted prospects who made the cut list the Buckeyes among their top college choices.

Hundreds and hundreds of student-athletes were evaluated for the SI99—Sports Illustrated’s ranking of the top-99 senior high school basketball players in the country—before the list of All-American candidates was finalized. Video highlights, scouting analyses and a breakdown of each player’s college verbal commitment and/or top college contenders can be found on their bio pages at SIAllAmerican.com.

The SI99 was unveiled on Dec. 2, accompanied by lists of prospects ordered by state and college choice/contenders. Position rankings, in-depth videos on top-rated players and more will be released throughout the remainder of December. Sports Illustrated’s final All-American teams for the 2020-21 prep hoops season will be announced in coming months.